Dead Cadillac battery may be linked to heated seats - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Q: My 2006 Cadillac DTS has had a battery problem ever since I purchased it used in 2010. The morning after I bought the car, it would not start due to a dead battery. The dealer replaced the battery but the car continued to have this problem intermittently. They eventually installed a trickle charger because they said I didn’t drive the car enough to recharge the battery. Since installing the charger I no longer have the dead battery problems, but I can’t take the car anywhere for a few days where there isn’t access to an electrical outlet. Is there some defect in the car’s electrical system or does this car have such a high current drain that it’s an inherent issue. A: The simple diagnostic procedure for excess current draw is to connect an ammeter in series with the negative battery cable so that the ammeter “sees” any current flow from the battery with the ignition switched off. Typically, the parasitic draw is less than one-tenth of one ampere. If the meter shows excess current flow, pull each fuse and relay until the current stops — you’ve identified the fault circuit. Apparently, it can keep the serial data buss alive after shutdown, which can cause a 4-amp draw until the battery drops below three volts. I tried the normal cures — reseating the tire, cleaning the metal rim and tire bead, checking the valve cores. Source: www.startribune.com
